mixed blend of chocolate

Jyuuzaengi ~Engetsu Sangokuden~: Chou Ryou’s Route

At the halfway mark, we’ve Chou Ryou (CV: Yusa Kouji), who works under Ryo Fu. Ryo Fu’s orders are absolute to him, and he’s often out running random errands for her – he even sews for her, and cooks too. He treats Kan U very kindly from the start but there’s more to him. I recommend reading at least Chou Hi’s review first (and maybe Ryuu Bi’s too) ‘cos all the common stuff is explained there; I’m not going into overlapping details for the following routes.

Chapter 1

The game starts off similarly. But instead Chou Hi goes to the entrance to block it off while Kan U goes to chase away the soldiers that are already in the village. After she successfully fends them off, Sou Sou enters the scene as he appears rather impressed by her. Ryuu Bi comes out at this time too (as Kan Tei left him to go join Chou Hi to stop the fight) and Kan U immediately displays protective behaviour, especially when Sou Sou draws his sword. Amused, he leaves as he tells her that he doesn’t plan to kill them and to treat Ryuu Bi with importance. Outside, a fight breaks out between Chou Hi and Kakou Ton and the rest of the chapter follows in similar fashion.

Chapter 2

Same stuff happens till they meet Tou Taku. Kan U hesitantly greets him (and up goes Kakou Ton’s affection lol). Chou Seihei also says that it’s better to go with the other side since they don’t know what’s up for them. The rest follows similarly to Chou Hi/Ryuu Bi’s routes up till when Sou Sou says that they should cut off Chou Kaku’s ears if they don’t want to endanger themselves. Kan U says straight out that she can’t do such a thing and surprisingly Sou Sou seems pleased to hear that. He does the deed for her instead, right before her and Chou Hi’s eyes – cutting off both ears, and then the head to take back to show Tou Taku. After Sou Sou rides off, Chou Hi does his best to comfort a shaken Kan U and they return to the rest. The rest of the chapter is the same.

Chapter 3

Same events take place, including the meetings with Chou Un, and Chou Ryou (take note that Kan U doesn’t know either of their names yet).

Rakuyou, Chou Ryou 1: Kan U takes shelter from a passing rain, and soon after the blonde man does. He notices that Kan U’s fiddling with her ears as water got into them. Kan U explains that Maozoku‘s ears are higher than humans so they take extra care when it’s raining. He appears surprised and apparently he thought she was a human all along, just with…strange cat ears. Kan U explains otherwise and he says that he’ll remember so from now on. The rain stops and he takes his leave.

Rakuyou, Chou Ryou 2: Kan U spots the blonde again, but this time he appears troubled. Offering her help, he decides to accept it and asks her to pick a nice hair accessory. He was ordered by his (female) master to pick one out so Kan U remarks that the silver one looks nice with the coral matching it. The shop owner doesn’t welcome her though, but immediately switches to a pleasant attitude when the blonde appears cash-rich. He ends up taking Kan U’s suggestion after matching it against her hair to see for himself. He then thanks her before they part ways.

The meeting with Chou Ryou, Ryo Fu, Chou Sen occurs here.

Rakuyou, Chou Ryou 3: Kan U comes out to take a breather but it’s not ideal either with humans everywhere. Chou Ryou spots her and calls out to her. After hearing how she isn’t used to this new place, he decides to help her lighten up her mood by giving her some herbs he has on him. Kan U feels calmer after smelling it and so he decides to give them to her. Initially he picked them out on Ryo Fu’s orders but he can just go get them again. Chou Ryou tells Kan U not to thank him, as he already got to see her smile.

Rakuyou, Chou Ryou 4: It’s in the evening, and Kan U has the unfortunate luck of bumping into some thugs, who quickly demand compensation money as one of them feigns injury. Chou Ryou happens to be nearby and he soon ends up as their target, getting hurt in the process as he chases them away. Kan U worries over his injury and Ryo Fu comes at this point – apparently Chou Ryou was on his way to meet her. Ryo Fu ends up worrying over Kan U instead after hearing everything though, even ordering Chou Ryou to slice up the guys and feed them to the dogs next time he sees them – and Chou Ryou accepts them without any qualms. Kan U then notices that Chou Ryou’s injury is gone, and Ryo Fu remarks that he’s rather sturdy if not how could he serve her. As they take their leave, Ryo Fu tells Kan U to let her know immediately when she’s in trouble. But Kan U thinks to herself that she shouldn’t since she takes rather extreme measures.

The same events happen, with Tou Taku announcing that he’s Emperor now and Sou Sou planning to attack him that same night. Kan U decides to cool her head first before going to tell the rest. She meets Chou Ryou outside then, who happens to be going to pick flowers on Ryo Fu’s orders. He invites her to join him since he senses that she’s bothered and wants to change her mood. Kan U rejects though since she doesn’t have the time and so he offers to listen to her instead. Kan U doesn’t say the details, just that in order to protect an important treasure, she has to do something she really doesn’t want to do. Chou Ryou advises her not to think too much and to just consider what is your biggest priority. Kan U asks if he doesn’t have such worries and he swiftly answers that he doesn’t ‘cos he prioritises Ryo Fu, aka his master. It’s like his truth. Kan U sorts out her thoughts thanks to him, and that Ryuu Bi is indeed the most important. As they part ways, she wonders what’s Ryo Fu’s relationship to Tou Taku since she spotted them together the last time.

Same stuff takes place, up till when Kan U reports to Sou Sou their decision to cooperate – and to show their capabilities to her too lol. She feels that Sou Sou going after the Yellow Turban rebels is better than Tou Taku killing off the Emperor for personal greed, but she also wants to see if Sou Sou is really capable of being the replacement Emperor then. Kakou Ton appears pleased with this remark and agrees to her bold statement. Afterwards, Chou Hi runs off to check who seems to be watching them in the shadows but Kan U loses sight of him. So she ends up following Sou Sou and co. to face off with Tou Taku. Tou Taku doesn’t seem surprised at Sou Sou’s intrusion, and in fact predicted it from the start. He calls for Ryo Fu, who is interested to have a sparring with Kan U. Sou Sou orders her and Kakou Ton and Kakou En to go after Tou Taku though, while he deals with her – since their goal is to kill Tou Taku.

Chou Ryou blocks their way, who is on orders from Ryo Fu to let Tou Taku run away. He easily fends off Kakou Ton and Kakou En, while telling Kan U to step away though, since he is troubled as to whether he can hurt her or not, since Ryo Fu likes her. Chou Ryou starts mulling over what to do about Kan U, and Kakou Ton orders Kan U to slip past him while he and Kakou En attract his attention. They’re more successful this time, but when Kan U slips past Chou Ryou immediately goes after her after Kakou En suffers a heavy blow. In the end, Chou Ryou hugs her with one hand while fighting Kakou Ton with the other. Kan U is surprised that she can’t budge at all, and Ryo Fu enters the scene here. She tells Chou Ryou off, since she often told him that women shouldn’t be easily touched by men. When Chou Ryou explains his dilemma, she informs them all that Tou Taku has run away already so he can stop now. Sou Sou confirms this, and Chou Hi only enters at this point lol. The rest of the chapter is the same.

Chapter 4

It starts off the same, up till Kan U wants to take a breather and goes to the riverside (rather than going to where Chou Hi and co. are). As Kan U is thinking about the situation, Chou Ryou suddenly appears and greets her. He’s here on Ryo Fu’s orders to spy on the enemy, to check on their numbers and food supply. Kan U is surprised by his casual attitude, and says that she can’t possibly let an enemy slip past her. Chou Ryou is bothered as he wonders why he called out to her then, and Kan U goes “I don’t know!” lol. She says that she’ll call for lots of other people so Chou Ryou decides to retreat for now and looks forward to their next meeting on the battlefield. The same events occur up till Kan U rejects the invitation to go for the banquet and decides to escape for a bit. She meets Chou Ryou, who is here to convey a message from Ryo Fu. He ends up covering her mouth ‘cos she’s too surprised and keeps raising her voice lol. Ryo Fu looks forward to their meeting tomorrow and Chou Ryou conveys this word for word, down to her tone and putting a kiss mark onto Kan U’s neck pffft.

The next day on the battlefield, Kan U gives the start signal on time so the plan goes successfully and the armies manage to surround Tou Taku’s army. Meanwhile Ryo Fu decides to go down to fight and she goes wild at Sou Sou and Kouson San’s ends. Seeing the chaotic situation from behind, Maozoku guess that it must be her work and Chou Ryou comes in at this time, swooping Kan U up onto his horse as he claims to be taking her to Ryo Fu once she’s done. Kan U jumps off halfway though. Since Ryo Fu is down fighting, now’s the chance to take down the stronghold. Chou Ryou stands in her way though, and doesn’t flinch even when she attacks. Kan U doesn’t understand why he easily endangers himself like this, and decides to take his horse instead as she rides to the front. She leads En Shou’s men into the stronghold and successfully takes it down. Chou Ryou reports Kan U’s doings to Ryo Fu, citing it as completely out of his expectations, and they decide to return to Rakuyou. This news also surprises Sou Sou and co., though they all remark on how brash she is when she explains the situation to them later. Even though Kan U did well, she can’t help but feel that she’s being scolded lol. She then returns to the Maozoku and tells them the good news.

Unfortunately, they later find out that Tou Taku forcefully evacuated the people and burned down Rakuyou. Sou Sou plans to give chase, while asking Kouson San and the Maozoku to remain to focus on the relief of Rakuyou, saving whatever people they can. However, he wants Kan U to follow him, whom follows willingly. Meanwhile, Ri Shuku reports Tou Taku on the situation now and advises him to lay a trap in their current stronghold for Sou Sou, who will be only focused catching up with them. Hearing that Kan U is with Sou Sou, Ryo Fu asks to join this battle too. Tou Taku wants her to remain by his side though, and instead orders Chou Ryou to go.

On the way, twenty men ambush Sou Sou and co. but their target is Kan U. Kan U asks to remain behind while the rest go ahead. While she can handle the number, she didn’t expect them to attack her with medication to numb her senses and she passes out. At the other side, Sou Sou’s men is putting up a surprisingly good resistance against the trap, so Ri Shuku orders Chou Ryou to go out. Chou Ryou really goes all out as he even attacks his own men and Kakou Ton and Kakou En have their hands full. Unfortunately, Tou Taku’s men decide to take this chance to shoot all their arrows at Sou Sou since his two generals have been lured away. Sou Sou is heavily injured and Kakou Ton orders for them all to retreat. Ryo Fu comes down to stop Chou Ryou too, as Tou Taku couldn’t wait any longer and wants to flee to Chou An. Moreover, she can expect more ‘good stuff’ if Sou Sou remains alive. She orders Chou Ryou to return Kan U to Rakuyou rather than bringing her to her side. Ryo Fu wants to wait for the time when she comes over herself, plus she still needs to persuade Tou Taku to accept Maozoku.

Kan U wakes up later to find herself next to Chou Ryou, and asks about the situation. Sou Sou has retreated and given up chase so the Maozoku should be free now. Ryo Fu also said that she would persuade Tou Taku to not pursue them. Chou Ryou returns her just a distance away from Rakuyou – he can’t go in as he’s considered an enemy working under Tou Taku. Ryuu Bi and the rest welcome Kan U back and after hearing her words, they decide to return to the village. The alliance is also eventually dissolved and each of them return to their own territories.

Chapter 5

The chapter starts off the same, except that Chou Ryou approaches them as he was asked by Ryo Fu to bring them to Chou An. It’s not as near as Rakuyou but it’s a great stronghold and hence it’s good to protect the one you should. Of course they’re hesitant since they can’t trust Ryo Fu completely etc. But Ryuu Bi wants everyone to stay together so eventually everyone gives in, even the stubborn Chou Hi has to after Ryuu Bi’s persistent stares ahaha. ❤ They still remains uneasy about relying on Ryo Fu but Kan U notes that on their journey towards Chou An, they all see that Chou Ryou is different and doesn’t discriminate against them. He’s also popular among the females and their journey wasn’t as difficult as Kan U had thought to be, probably ‘cos Chou Ryou picked the safest route for them all. In the travel system, Kan U notes that Chou Ryou is surrounded by the females and decides to go back to Ryuu Bi and Chou Hi. He calls out to her instead though, and walks together with her since it appeared that she wanted to talk to him. Kan U doesn’t have anything in particular to speak about though so she just asks about Chou An. As they talk, he offers to show her around – unlike when he was talking to the rest when he offered to introduce people to show them around. (For laughs, you can just glimpse to see what’s up with Chou Hi and Ryuu Bi in the travel system too. 8’D)

The rest wait outside while Chou Ryou and Kan U go in first to speak to Ryo Fu and Tou Taku. Kan U notices that even though it’s huge and there’s a lot of people in Chou An, none of them look happy. Chou Ryou says that according to Ryo Fu, ever since Tou Taku fled here the currency has been a mess. Kan U actually covered her ears with a cloth, but they are exposed when she bumps into some people. They become immediately fearful of her, and upon seeing Chou Ryou, Ryo Fu’s subordinate with her. They saw that their doomed for with what happened with Tou Taku, and now this. Kan U knows that this reaction is to be expected, and then out of the blue Chou Ryou says that “I’ll always be on your side”. Apparently he was told by Ryo Fu to tell women this if they look troubled lol. Kan U wonders why he isn’t upset at being so feared by people, and Chou Ryou answers that he never thought about it – as long as he’s useful to Ryo Fu he’s satisfied. Kan U thinks to herself that he must have his reasons. She’s still uneasy about going to see Tou Taku, and Chou Ryou uses the same line on her again lol. Kan U asks him to not tease her so much, and those words should be used on his important person instead. She thanks him anyway and they arrive at the castle. Kan U pales since she’s alone in enemy territory now and Chou Ryou uses the line on her again pfft. He claims that she is important to him, since Ryo Fu has taken a great liking to her.

Later on, Ryo Fu persuades Tou Taku to take them in as Maozoku have great skills in comparison to humans, especially Kan U. Ri Shuku immediately recognises Kan U’s name, as being the one who defeated Ka Yuu. After some discussion, Tou Taku gets Ryo Fu’s point, that it’s better to take them in rather than have them running about as threats. However it’s also dangerous to take them in since they may rebel anytime so Ri Shuku suggests doing what Sou Sou did – taking Ryuu Bi hostage. Kan U immediately refuses and even raises her weapon at them. There’s no way the rest would accept this condition either so they’d rather become homeless. Kan U leaves the room to tell the rest and on Ryo Fu’s orders, Chou Ryou chases after her and explains what happened on her behalf. While hearing all of this, Ryuu Bi suddenly says that he’s willing to be taken captive. He reckons it’s similar to Sou Sou’s and he would prefer everyone to remain together. All the ancestors protected the village all along but under him it was destroyed so he feels that this is the least he can do as their leader. Upon hearing this, no one can oppose him and so they decide to remain in Chou An. Chou Ryou shows them to the camp area, just outside Tou Taku’s castle. He’ll oversee them so he’ll continue to remain with them, and will take Ryuu Bi away later.

That night, Kan U wakes up and goes outside since she can’t fall back asleep. Chou Ryou has apparently been up this whole time, since he’s on orders to guard them. Kan U is worried since he hardly slept on their journey here too, and he assures her that he doesn’t require much sleep. As she asks him to not force himself, Chou Ryou thanks her and comments on how kind she is. Kan U returns those words back to him, but he says that he’s merely following Ryo Fu’s orders and Kan U can’t help but feel a bit lonely hearing that. Chou Ryou remarks that she’s different though, since she’s worried over him without listening to anyone’s orders. No one has showed concern for him before so he thinks of her as unusual. Kan U laughs at this since she thinks he’s way more unusual and after their short talk she goes back in to sleep.

Chou An, Chou Ryou 1: Kan U struggles with carrying the foodstuff she was given by Tou Taku, who ordered her to come alone. Even though she has a horse with her, it’s still tough and she soon finds herself lost. Chou Ryou spots her and offers to show her back, while carrying the stuff for her. As told by Ryo Fu, men shouldn’t let women carry heavy things. Kan U decides to ask Chou Ryou a question that has been bothering her for a while: why is he serving under Ryo Fu? Chou Ryou doesn’t give away the details, but he answers that if it weren’t for Ryo Fu, his current existence would not be a forgivable one. Seeing his troubled look, Kan U offers to be his listening ear anytime. He thanks her, but there’s nothing bothering him for now. They soon reach the camp and he bids her farewell.

Chou An, Chou Ryou 2: Kan U is outside hanging the laundry and though it’s not an ideal situation, seeing the kids play freely is comforting. Chou Ryou calls out to her, asking what’s on her mind. Kan U happened to be reminiscing her childhood and she asks Chou Ryou’s about his. He can’t really answer though as he claims that before he was serving Ryo Fu, he wasn’t himself. So he feels that the memories before that are unnecessary and doesn’t really pay much mind to them. This surprises Kan U, since everyone would usually have childhood memories. But she reassures Chou Ryou that everyone is different and he can always make memories from now on.

(You’ll need to reload a save file before the Momozono system kicks in to read Chou Ryou’s 3rd event.)

Chou An, Chou Ryou 3: Kan U goes out to give Chou Ryou an outerwear as it’s cold outside. Chou Ryou, who always stands watch at night, says that he’s okay. Kan U insists otherwise though and he accepts her kindness, and somehow feels at ease when he touches her too. Chou Ryou quickly apologises when he realises that he’s been touching her for some time and thanks her for the outerwear.

Several weeks pass, and there are still attacks against Tou Taku but the defense of Chou An is heavy. It’s also surrounded by many natural barriers such as the Yellow River and Loess Plateau. Tou Taku continues his extravagant ways while ignoring the common people’s difficulties. And een though they’re here as Ryo Fu’s guests, they’re confined to the cramp areas of the camp and not allowed into the city. Chou Ryou reports to Ryo Fu that they’re probably starting to feel tedious and can’t continue like this. Ryo Fu understands the situation, but also notes that Chou Ryou seems to have taken a keen interest in Kan U – not that Chou Ryou understands her words though. Chou Ryou also conveys that he has been asked many times by them to release Ryuu Bi, and worries that they may rebel. Ryo Fu wonders if he’s being influenced by Kan U since he rarely voices opinions. She doesn’t mind seeing him act out of the ordinary though and doesn’t mind releasing Ryuu Bi either but Tou Taku will probably oppose. Though she is getting tired of Tou Taku and Chou An. A report comes in that Sou Sou is leading an army to attack them. Ryo Fu wants to fight but she has orders to remain by Tou Taku’s side, so she has no choice but to send Chou Ryou down instead, and that he takes Kan U with him too.

Meanwhile, the Maozoku are worried over Ryuu Bi – especially when there are rumours that Tou Taku tortures and kills off prisoners at banquets as side entertainment. Chou Ryou comes at this point to fetch Kan U, and advises that she’d better do so since Ryo Fu is the one on Maozoku‘s side while in Chou An. Kan U obliges and at the battlefield, Kakou Ton and Sou Sou soon spot her. Sou Sou guesses that she’s probably instigated to come here by Ryo Fu, and that Ryuu Bi is probably in captive. He doubts that Tou Taku is giving Ryuu Bi the same treatment as he did, and questions when was the last time she saw Ryuu Bi. Sou Sou doesn’t think that they can stay on for long and offers them to return to his side. They can stir up trouble from the inside and he’ll be easily able to capture Chou An and they can save Ryuu Bi too. Chou Ryou appears to check on Kan U, and he and Kakou Ton soon engage in a fight. Kan U observes that Chou Ryou doesn’t seem to feel anything when hurting or killing other people, and can’t help but feel fearful of that. Chou Ryou is troubled by her making a sad face and mulls over what to do. Sou Sou then orders but them to retreat and advises Kan U to check on Ryuu Bi’s condition, before making her decision on his offer again.

After this, she immediately asks Chou Ryou about Ryuu Bi’s whereabouts. He’s hesitant since he’s under strict orders not to do so without Ryo Fu or Tou Taku’s permission. But seeing her persistence, he realises how important Ryuu Bi is to her and how she possesses feelings unlike him. Chou Ryou eventually tells her that Ryuu Bi is kept in a room deep in Tou Taku’s residence. Kan U thanks him and immediately dashes off, leaving Chou Ryou to wonder why he told her in the end. Kan U soon locates where Ryuu Bi, and overhears the two guards talking off how slack this job is – only feeding Ryuu Bi once a day and with the minimum amount of water. Shocked at the harsh treatment, Kan U hurries back to tell the rest but bumps into a worried Chou Ryou, who came to check on her. He didn’t know of the situation and suggests telling Ryo Fu who will persuade Tou Taku. But Kan U says that there is no guarantee it will better the situation and hurries back. Chou Ryou decides to report to Ryo Fu on this asap.

Back at the camp, everyone else is in favour of rescuing Ryuu Bi but then Ryo Fu will be a huge threat to them. Ryo Fu and Chou Ryou promptly appear at this point, and tells them that they would like to cooperate with them – they’ll distract the security while Kan U and Chou Hi go to rescue Ryuu Bi. This is successful as they make their way to Ryuu Bi and Kan U immediately dashes to hug him, who soon falls asleep in her arms. ❤ The guards come by though so leaving Ryuu Bi with Chou Hi, Kan U goes to fight them. Tou Taku also appears though and accuses her of being the mastermind of the rebellion, even attacking the women and children. She has no idea what he’s talking about though, and both Ryo Fu and Chou Ryou soon catch up. Tou Taku orders Ryo Fu to get rid of Kan U as responsibility for being them in. Ryo Fu turns against him though and kills him off. Shocked, Kan U realises that she was the one who killed off even the women and children, feeling that there was no need to go that far. Ryo Fu answers that when she does things she does it to the fullest though, and says that Chou Ryou is the same. Of course, Chou Ryou answers that if it’s her orders and Kan U questions if he really is the same as Ryo Fu. Chou Ryou says that he will indeed kill her if ordered to do so, and Kan U realises that he was being kind to them all along only ‘cos of orders so she can’t trust him.

Kan U tells Chou Hi to take Ryuu Bi away and they run off, planning to escape from Chou An. Ryo Fu doesn’t give chase as she’s sure they’ll meet again on the battlefield. She asks if Chou Ryou feels the same, and it’ll be good if he isn’t hated. Chou Ryou hesitantly agrees with her, and so after that Ryo Fu deserts Chou An and goes on her killing spree.

Chapter 6

The chapter starts off the same. The Maozoku are always on the run and they meet into the Yellow Turban rebels attacking a man. Instead of running away, Kan U goes to save him despite protests from the rest. He questions Kan U’s motive but she says that there is no reason, and only they humans are so concerned about humans vs. Maozoku. After she treats the injuries, he starts to beg her, revealing that he was sent from Tou Ken to appeal to others for help as Sou Sou is attacking Jo Shuu. In the end, they send him to rest in a nearby village and Kan U is bothered as to whether to go to Jo Shuu or not. Ryuu Bi sees this and guesses that she wants to save Jo Shuu. Chou Seihei also suggests to the rest that they can reach their new home in two nights – Jo Shuu. If they save the people, they can surely help them settle down. Eventually the rest are persuaded and Ryuu Bi reassures Kan U – no matter the reason, it’s a good thing to help others. Chou Seihei also remarks that they can’t always be on the run and they can see it as fighting for their own happiness. Ryuu Bi apologises since he can’t express himself well to cheer her up, but Kan U thinks otherwise. ❤ It’s unsure if any help from other territories will come since it’s a war against Sou Sou, but they all head for Jo Shuu anyway. Kan U wonders if she’ll see Chou Ryou and Ryo Fu, and decides to ask Chou Ryou next time his reason for fighting.

The same events happen at Jo Shuu with them being the only help and Sou Sou’s army arriving in a distance. Tou Ken asks Bijiku to lead them in so that they can settle down and discuss a strategy. Kan U senses a presence though so a few of them circle around to check just in case. Kan U meets Chou Ryou, who is on orders by Ryo Fu to check on all the war situations everywhere. Kan U hears from him that they killed off everyone in the castle of Chou An, and is shocked to hear that women and children weren’t spared either. Chou Ryou doesn’t see what the problem is, but Kan U finds this unforgivable since they died unreasonably. Chou Ryou doesn’t understand since he hasn’t died before and he’s just following orders. Kan U sees that he’s really cold-blooded and can do anything if ordered. Chou Ryou then asks if she’s aware of the huge army size difference between them and Sou Sou, advising her to leave asap. Kan U refuses though, and it’s fighting to protect people – something he won’t understand. Seeing that she won’t change her mind, Chou Ryou gives her a piece of advise on how to end the war: going after the general’s life – in this case, Sou Sou’s. No matter how big the army, they will collapse without someone to lead them. Kan U asks why he’s advising her, and he answers that Ryo Fu likes her so he can’t let her die. Plus, he can’t say it well but saving her makes him feel at ease.

Kan U thanks him and he immediately disappears when another Maozoku comes by. She goes back to share this with the rest and Bijiku forms a plan based off this: Sou Sou will probably go all out and focus his men on the front to break down the gate. The Maozoku can take this chance to attack from behind to go after Sou Sou. Tou Ken is hesitant since this puts them in a dangerous position but Kan U and the rest are willing to execute this plan. So they rest for the night as they’re quite sure that Sou Sou will only attack tomorrow morning, knowing him. The next day, Sou Sou indeed gives the orders for all 100,000 men to attack. Kan U and co. attack from behind to their surprise but before Kan U can reach Sou Sou, Kakou Ton interferes her path. But just then, the bell to retreat is sounded for Sou Sou’s army. Sou Sou appears to stop Kakou Ton from continuing, especially ‘cos Ryo Fu is attacking En Shuu with some tens of thousands of men (bandits which she rounded up). Kan U wonders if Chou Ryou helped them, but dismisses the thought. She is thankful for his advise though. They’ve no choice but to retreat, however Kakou En shoots Tou Ken down before doing so. The Maozoku are quickly called to his side and the same events happen. In a distance, Chou Ryou sees that Sou Sou’s army is gone and can only hope that they can live peacefully in Jo Shuu. The rest of the chapter is the same.

Chapter 7

Half a year passes in Jo Shuu and it starts off the same as Ryuu Bi’s route. When they go to see Ryo Fu and co. Chou Ryou greets them and asks after them. Ryo Fu notes that he was definitely more than just “a little” worried over them. The same flow of events take place till after the meeting, Chou Ryou comes to find Kan U. He conveys on behalf of Ryo Fu that it was all a misunderstanding between them and she means no harm and wouldn’t do anything to bother Kan U. Kan U remains suspicious and thinks that he’s always speaking for Ryo Fu even though it’s a conversation between them, but sees that Chou Ryou looks like he’s in pain. She questions him, asking what he thought when he killed everyone in Chou An – doesn’t he feel regretful towards those who died? Chou Ryou feels no need for regret and Kan U wonders to herself what she was expecting from him, he probably just reported Jo Shuu’s situation to Ryo Fu ‘cos it was orders and not to save them. Chou Ryou in turn asks if he should hesitate if it’s orders to fight, and Kan U can’t deny this but she doesn’t feel that orders are a good enough reason to cause harm. She was also ordered by Sou Sou to fight but she doesn’t enjoy killing at all and always feels resistance to do so. Even now, she’s fighting to protect.

Her words vs. Ryo Fu’s confuses Chou Ryou. One tells him to kill and snatch, while the other tells him to not kill and to protect. Kan U’s words are very new to him and he can’t understand them well. Even though Ryo Fu is his master, he can’t help but feel like he wants to fulfill her wishes too. He excuses himself and leaves to rest. A few days later, there’s report of En Jutsu heading here with 70,000 men. Same events as Ryuu Bi’s route takes place as Ryo Fu slips off to attack Jo Shuu instead. En Jutsu retreats when he hears Ryo Fu slayed Ki Rei. Chou Seihei senses something wrong since there’s less people on the battlefield and Ryo Fu is missing. They quickly head back to check and are surprised to see the gates shut tight. She plans to take Jo Shuu for herself and asks them to settle in Shouhai instead. Kan U asks for Ryuu Bi and Ryo Fu agrees to hand him over if Kan U comes to her side. Her mood may change anytime though, as she contemplates rounding up people to torture. Kan U eventually decides to agree to her offer, though she’s not much different from a hostage and if Ryo Fu’s mood is spoiled she may kill the rest anytime.

Chou Ryou enters with some tea for her and Kan U questions if that’s an order too. Chou Ryou notes that she’s angry, and Kan U admits this to herself more above all, she feels sad and lonely too. She apologises for throwing her temper on her but Chou Ryou thinks it’s to be expected. Kan U drinks the tea he brought and hesitantly, Chou Ryou answers that it wasn’t an order at all. It’s ‘cos he knows that she must be feeling moody separated from everyone, but he stops midway in his words. Kan U asks about Ryuu Bi and the rest, and Chou Ryou assures her that Ryuu Bi went over safely and that they are all currently in Shouhai. Kan U misses them but she insists before Chou Ryou that she’s okay since there’s no helping it. Chou Ryou then moves on to inform her that Ryo Fu wants her to go fight against En Jutsu’s men tomorrow. It doesn’t look like he’ll attack, so it’s more of her challenging against him. Kan U doesn’t understand why they have to ask for a fight like this but there’s no choice since Ryo Fu will threaten her anyway. Chou Ryou offers to go fight instead then, since he knows that she doesn’t like to do so. Instead she can remain by Ryo Fu’s side to protect her. Kan U asks why he’s protecting her like this, and he answers that it’s no use if they force her. Plus he doesn’t want her to be moody anymore, though he’s unsure of the reason why he feels like this. Kan U thanks him, but they’ll still be killing people. Chou Ryou answers that there’s no choice, and leaves her when she asks to be alone.

Outside, he wonders why his chest hurts when he sees Kan U’s frail figure. Following that, Jo Shuu (under Ryo Fu) is at war with En Jutsu almost everyday, with Chou Ryou on the attack and Kan U protecting Ryo Fu.

Chapter 8

On the battlefield, Ryo Fu remarks on how persistent En Jutsu is to keep fighting her. She then asks why Kan U doesn’t stab the enemy each time, and always doesn’t give them critical injuries. Kan U answers that she isn’t fighting for pleasure like Ryo Fu suggests. En Jutsu’s men no longer want to fight, and think of advising En Jutsu to stop – but Ryo Fu only terrorises them to continue. She also continues to threaten Kan U if she stops her. Tired of this, she only wants to see Ryuu Bi and co. as she hasn’t been able to meet them ever since they were separated. Later, Chou Ryou asks after Kan U, who is upset that many people are dying. Chou Ryou feels that it’s just a matter of time before people die, and Kan U remarks how inhuman he is to coldly execute orders like that. Chou Ryou is troubled by her words, since he’s trying to be as human as possible as advised by Ryo Fu. Kan U shouts at him, but then apologises for going overboard. Chou Ryou doesn’t mind it, but he continues to be confused. He then asks to remain by her side to learn more about being human. Kan U is taken aback at first and hesitates, but Chou Ryou persists and feels that she’s the one who can teach him more so he wants to get closer to her. Kan U agrees to his request in the end and so after that he ends up by her side most of her times. She thought he was kidding at first, but she sees that even though he has a way with the ladies, he’s missing something more essential: he doesn’t know how to think for others. She sees that he’s serious though and wants to help him.

One day, Chou Ryou comes to inform Kan U that Ryo Fu has given her some time off to rest – imitating how Ryo Fu would say the words lol. They all noticed that she doesn’t look so well and so Ryo Fu wants to help to change her mood. Kan U wants to go to Shouhai to meet the Maozoku, and Chou Ryou asks to follow her, feeling like he can learn more there. He doesn’t mind how they may treat him. So Kan U lets him tag along and at Shouhai, both Ryuu Bi and Chou Hi warmly welcome her. As they both run off to inform the rest, Chou Ryou starts questioning about the behaviour of both Ryuu Bi and Chou Hi. He even imitates Chou Hi, thinking that it’ll make him more human lol. Kan U laughs at this, and says that the tone doesn’t have much relation to how human you are. So he decides to imitate Ryuu Bi’s actions and hugs her. Kan U tells him that it’s a bit different but Chou Ryou feels at ease like this and wonders what this feeling is. Kan U asks to let go and tells him to not copy everything he sees, while feeling embarrassed. Still, Chou Ryou is happy to have seen her laugh for the first time, and she suits that expression best.

Later, Chou Ryou notes how everyone is doing different chores. As Kan U explains to him, he starts to understand that being human means doing something for someone. In that case, he decides to do something too and asks for where the kitchen is. He ends up cooking a feast for everyone and though Chou Hi was uneasy at first, the suspicion is soon cleared up as soon as Kan U takes the first bite. Everyone slowly starts to accept Chou Ryou and Chou Seihei even invites him to come and help with the training practice. Chou Ryou thanks everyone and is happy to hear from Kan U that he has become more human. Kan U sees that he isn’t eating though, and he says that he’s full and asks her to eat on his behalf instead. As he serves her food, Chou Ryou wonders if Kan U is someone special to him, and vice versa, as he starts to be bothered by a new query.

In another scene, Kan U enjoys the peacefulness here but they’ll have to return to war once it’s all over. Just like her, the enemies must have people important to them too. If they die, they can’t meet them anymore. The people left behind must feel sad. Chou Ryou never thought about that since he only lived for Ryo Fu and is sure that no one will miss him if he dies and Ryo Fu will find another replacement. Kan U denies this and tears up from his sad words since it implies he’s a used existence. Chou Ryou pats her head, imitating what he saw when people comfort crying kids. He’s happy to be able to see her many expressions, except her crying face as his chest hurts. Kan U tells him that there will be people who will be sad if he dies, including her and the other Maozoku. Chou Ryou feels both happy and sad now to see her crying ‘cos of him, and apologises. Kan U tells him it’s okay since it isn’t a bad thing, and wonders why she never thought of him dying before.

As the peaceful days draw to a close, Chou Ryou remarks that even if En Jutsu asks for reconciliation Ryo Fu may not accept. Kan U then asks why he serves Ryo Fu. If he wants to be more human it’s probably better to leave her. But it’s an impossible request as Chou Ryou can’t leave her, he has been with her since the beginning of their contract. Before she can pursue further, they hear Ryuu Bi crying and find him stuck on a tree. He had climbed up to return a fallen bird back to its nest. Ryuu Bi falls off though before Kan U can climb up to get him, and luckily she catches him in time. Chou Ryou is surprised by how fast she moved, and Kan U answers that it’s probably ‘cos she wanted to save Ryuu Bi so more strength came through her. She doesn’t want her important person to be hurt and to live happily. When you want to protect that person, strength comes through and she reckons that that’s the strength of humans, and what is human. Chou Ryou will probably change if he finds that someone. By right it should be Ryo Fu but somehow Chou Ryou feels that it’s not her. He wonder if he will ever find someone to protect, and vice versa. Seeing Ryuu Bi’s clothes torn, Chou Ryou offers to sew for him and later to make something sweet for him. Ryuu Bi immediately hugs him and Kan U is amused by how they appear like brothers.

On the last day, everyone thanks Chou Ryou for all his help and invites him over anytime. Chou Ryou is heartened by this and learns for the first time how happy it is to be thanked by others. What awaits them is more battles with En Jutsu though a letter from him arrives – seeking reconciliation. He invites them to a banquet in Wainan (淮南; Huainan) though they guess that he wants their cooperation to up against En Shou. Ryo Fu has no intentions to do any peace-making and threatens Kan U when Kan U begs otherwise. After Kan U leaves, Ryo Fu asks Chou Ryou if he has become more lenient in his killings. It’s good to become more human but not when it interferes in war. She wonders if it’s Kan U’s influence and Chou Ryou isn’t sure, but he has started to think of her as important. Ryo Fu doesn’t mind if he’s aware and asks him to leave – but she thinks that it’s time to change him.

At one side, Chou Sen approaches Kan U as she herself wants peace. She offers to persuade Ryo Fu and asks Kan U to go see En Jutsu for the banquet. It’s best to leave asap before Ryo Fu gets suspicious. Kan U accepts her idea and goes to confide in Chou Ryou. He understands her intentions and he asks to go with her. Even though Ryo Fu is his master, he’s starting to think of Kan U as important from the bottom of his heart and repeats what she taught him – you don’t want your important someone to get hurt etc. Chou Ryou wants to protect her on his own initiative. Kan U is both happy and embarrassed and Chou Ryou touches her reddened face, wondering if she’s alright. He remarks how her warmth is proof that she’s living and she wonders why he’s talking like he’s dead. Chou Ryou quickly redirects the topic and remarks on how even though it’s not his first time touching her, he feels both happy and embarrassed. Kan U decides to stop herself from saying her feelings though as they’ve no time for this. Chou Ryou agrees that he wants to stop the war too, and he isn’t the same as before – he wants to become human now. He quickly leaves with Kan U before she can question his words further. As they head to Wainan, Kan U wishes that when that war ends, they can live peacefully together as Chou Ryou’s existence has become important to her.

Over there, she is still worried that it may be a trap and Chou Ryou repeats that same line “it’s okay I’ll always be on your side” lol. This time though, he’s saying it ‘cos Kan U is truly his important person. He recalls that he saw a dream for the first time the other night, and it’s was of them living peacefully together in a small village. That was the first time he felt and happiness, and knew that he hadn’t been happy all along. Chou Ryou says straight out that Kan U is important to him, and asks if she feels the same way. Kan U is happy but is hesitant, and asks him to wait for her answer when they return. Chou Ryou appears sad but this also gives him a reason to return to Jo Shuu alive. Later, En Jutsu warmly welcomes them, he didn’t think Ryo Fu would come personally in the first place. As he invites them into the castle for the banquet, he admits to Kan U’s strength after countless battles and notes that she never gave his men critical injuries. They barely started to talk after they sat down though and there’s report of Gan Ryou and Bun Shuu here with 50,000 men. En Jutsu barely has 30,000 men and enough food after continuously fighting Ryo Fu and decides to go out to talk to them. Kan U and Chou Ryou decide to follow him out as well.

But it’s a wrong move as En Shou’s men were tipped off that En Jutsu is planning to cooperate with Ryo Fu against them. They confirm this when they see Kan U and Chou Ryou despite En Jutsu’s protests, and give the orders to attack. En Jutsu runs inside while telling his men to buy time, leaving Kan U and Chou Ryou outside too. Chou Ryou wants to at least save Kan U, and she asks him not to say such things as there’s no meaning if they both don’t return together. As the enemies give the orders to shoot, Kan U blocks Chou Ryou from an incoming arrow. It has poison on it so she soon starts to fade out. Chou Ryou is surprised, as he realises that she now thinks of him as important. The previous him would’ve given up already but now he has changed thanks to her. He promises to return together alive and in a half-conscious state, Kan U sees Chou Ryou protecting her against the attacks.

When Kan U wakes up later, she finds herself in Shouhai with Ryuu Bi by her side. As both he and Chou Hi are relieved to see her awake, they go for a group hug~ She learns that Chou Ryou carried her back here, despite being heavily injured himself and returned to Jo Shuu’s city. But she notes that her clothes aren’t stained by his blood so she insists on going to check on him.

Chapter 9

When Kan U goes to find Chou Ryou, Ryo Fu worries over her while Chou Sen appears surprised to see her alive. Chou Ryou though, greets Kan U as if he’s meeting her for the first time. When Kan U thanks him for saving her, he doesn’t seem to register her words and keeps going on about the tea he made for Ryo Fu. Ryo Fu says that he’s probably just tired from before and should be okay after a while. Meanwhile, a report comes in that En Jutsu is here with a mix of soldiers and civilians – probably to seek peace. Ryo Fu already knew that Chou Ryou and Kan U went to meet him behind her back and asks if he treated them hospitably. Kan U confirms this and that he truly wants peace, so Ryo Fu decides to welcome him in her own way too. As they go down to greet him, Kan U thanks Chou Sen thinking that she managed to persuade Ryo Fu. At En Jutsu’s side, they’re worried if Ryo Fu will really accept them. En Jutsu reassures them – though she’s strong what Ryo Fu is missing is a prestigious bloodline like his. He wants to at least save the women and children, even if it means selling his soul to a monster like her (marriage).

Unfortunately, Ryo Fu only has intentions of killing En Jutsu. She orders Chou Ryou to kill off the rest who follows her orders right away. She stops Kan U from interfering and Kan U catch only watch helplessly as she wonders what happened to Chou Ryou. After this, everyone is on the alert against Ryo Fu and En Shou goes to find Sou Sou with plans to cooperating against her. Sou Sou suggests making contact with the Jyuuza in Jo Shuu so make it easier for them to resist against Ryo Fu. En Shou agrees with this idea and they immediately prepare to advance to Jo Shuu. Meanwhile, Ryo Fu hears news of their 200,000 combined armies hearing her way and only looks forward to it. Ryo Fu then asks Kan U if she wants to come to her room tonight, as she always does. Kan U’s positive answer surprises all, though she appears disappointed when Chou Ryou doesn’t seem to care. Kan U has to go through with this though as she plans to assassinate Ryo Fu to end the war. But Ryo Fu sees right through her. She lets Kan U off, but she doesn’t want her to entertain thoughts of escaping. Even if Kan U does, she’ll chase after her. Kan U has no choice but to return for the night, and to fight under Ryo Fu to protect her important people.

On the battlefield though, En Shou and Sou Sou approach Kan U with their offer to cooperate against Ryo Fu. Kan U is hesitant to be used by Sou Sou again, but En Shou steps in to stop Sou Sou from losing sight of their real goal. So he tells Kan U that in exchange for helping, they can have Jo Shuu – since the Jo Shuu people have deep faith in Maozoku too. Kan U agrees to this and so they retreat for now and meet up later at Shouhai to discuss their strategy. Sou Sou suggests holding up the soldiers first with a pitfall. While they restrain the army there, Kan U and co. can go and release the dam linked to the river – it’ll be attacking them with water. The evacuation of the Jo Shuu people will be left to them too. The water floods will certainly confuse the enemies. They decide to execute his plan, with Chou Hi and Kan U going to release the dam. En Shou’s men will create the pitfall while Sou Sou’s attract Ryo Fu’s army’s attention. Kakou Ton and Kakou En make noise about letting Kan U handle the important task but Sou Sou tells her not to mind them ‘cos it’s their way of worrying over her pffft.

When Kan U goes to the dam, Chou Ryou shows up. Kan U tries to persuade Chou Ryou to stop Ryo Fu in order to end war, just like he wanted to. Chou Ryou doesn’t seem to listen to her though and starts to fight her – but careful to not kill her. He ends up losing his weapon though, but Kan U can’t kill him as he waits for her attack. In the end he knocks her out cold though the waters have been released already and flood into the city. Kan U wakes up back at Ryo Fu’s and as Chou Sen scoffs at her, Kan U reveals everything – that she was the one who told her to go En Jutsu’s etc. Chou Sen panics and says that she was lying of course, and in fact she tipped En Shou off about them going there but didn’t expect Chou Ryou to save her. Hearing this, Ryo Fu remarks how Chou Sen has been hiding a lot of stuff from her and aside from Kan U, this also made Chou Ryou break. But she was getting tired of Chou Sen too, and takes out her Tougen mirror (桃源鏡; Shangri-La mirror). Ryo Fu breaks her soul contract with Chou Sen and Chou Sen ages and turns into mere bones.

Kan U is naturally shocked and Ryo Fu explains that Chou Sen is a human that has lived over 100 years so it’s only natural. Ryo Fu herself is a fairy; immortal that has been here for over 300 years. Chou Sen managed to live for so long ‘cos Ryo Fu shared her soul with her. As an immortal, she says that the biggest fear is boredom, at least for her. That’s why she purposely stirs up war and killings. Chou Ryou is in fact, a clay doll she gave temporary life to. But she just created this one and so he isn’t quite human yet. The previous one became human thanks to Kan U but it was interfering with his fighting so it was just as well that it’s already broken. Ryo Fu then reveals the previous Chou Ryou, immobile and worn out from the battle at Wainan – the one Kan U knew. The new Chou Ryou remarks how he’s a failure, since he mixed up his priorities and Kan U strongly denies this. Ryo Fu contemplates killing the Maozoku one by one to see Kan U’s face twist in despair. Kan U immediately protests so Ryo Fu asks her to make the same soul contract with her as Chou Sen did. In return she’ll do nothing for some 100 years. Kan U realises that this should give peace to the Maozoku and agrees – she can’t defeat Ryo Fu so this is the only other way.

Ryo Fu asks her to stand before her mirror and swear, before kissing as proof of that. Normally when humans do this, the bearer’s life is halved to be given to the receiver, but since she’s immortal, Kan U will be immortal too. Kan U does as told but before they can complete the contract Chou Ryou wakes up and tells Kan U to stop. Kan U quickly dashes to his side and cries out of relief. Chou Ryou tells her that he wanted to save her no matter what, even if he breaks and Kan U realises that he knows everything except how to protect himself. Chou Ryou is glad that she’s well, recalling that more strength than usual came to him when he protected her. He asks if he’s closer to being human and Kan U says that he is human. As Chou Ryou thanks her, he says that she’s now more important to him than his master. Ryo Fu is ticked off at this development and orders the new Chou Ryou to finish off him and holds Kan U back from interfering. Chou Ryou decides to fight for Kan U’s sake, as he now has a heart and desire to protect someone. As Kan U watches this, she finally tells Chou Ryou her answer to him: he’s important to her too and she wants to be with him so he must live on. Happy to hear this, Chou Ryou answers that he will and manages to catch the other Chou Ryou off guard, stabbing his heart with the arrow initially pierced in his own body.

Enraged that the new one failed, Ryo Fu starts to mercilessly attack him. Chou Ryou tells Kan U to take this chance to escape, as Ryo Fu won’t be able to see her surroundings for a while when she’s lost it. He picks up his original weapon the new one dropped and they leave the room. Later Ryo Fu sees they’re gone and decides to destroy everything and everyone, as she creates an army of clay dolls. Kan U and Chou Ryou tell En Shou and Sou Sou everything. The water attack strategy worked and Ryo Fu’s army is no resisting, so all that’s left is Ryo Fu herself. But the army of clay dolls appear before them. Chou Ryou refuses to rest at one side, and wants to fight alongside Kan U so that they can spend their peaceful days together later. Seeing this, Kakou Ton tells them to mind their behaviour since they’re on the battlefield after all pffft. Kan U and Chou Ryou volunteer to go after Ryo Fu, since they know the castle well and can navigate better. Maozoku join them at this point too and so they all leave it to them, while they handle the clay dolls.

On the way there though, Kan U insists on Chou Ryou resting for a bit as he looks like he’s in pain. Chou Ryou hugs her, as he wants to hear her heartbeat and warmth, making him feel at ease. Unlike him, it’s proof that she’s alive. Kan U says that he is alive but Chou Ryou knows that his body is different. But day after day he gets more greedy, wanting to see her smile more, and touch her more. Kan U says that she feels likewise too and says that they’ll always be together from now on. Chou Ryou looks sad at this, but dismisses it and they head on. They find Ryo Fu, who has been expecting them. As they fight, Chou Ryou directs to Kan U to attack Ryo Fu while he attracts her attention by taking on Ryo Fu’s continuous attacks. Kan U refuses to do so though and saves him instead, though she loses her weapon afterwards. Chou Ryou saves her in return, making Ryo Fu scoff at them. Chou Ryou then throws down his own weapon, given by Ryo Fu, and takes up Kan U’s. They’ll defeat her together, since their hearts are stronger than hers. They are successful and Ryo Fu’s body breaks down as she speaks of taking revenge. The clay dolls disappear too and everyone else decides to go back to celebrate. But Sou Sou notes that Chou Ryou is a clay doll too so he will disappear soon too.

As dawn breaks, Chou Ryou himself slowly disappears. He didn’t tell Kan U the truth as he knew that it would sway her resolution. As he tells Kan U not to cry, he finds himself tearing up too just like a real human. Chou Ryou feels a bit happy at this and asks if he was able to become human at the last moments. The heart he possesses now was given to him by Kan U and he thanks her for it. As much as he wanted to fulfill Kan U’s wish to be together, he’s unable to do so. Chou Ryou asks her to forget him and to live happily. Kan U refuses to give up hope and recalls Ryo Fu’s mirror, wanting to make a soul contract with Chou Ryou. He protests at first since this means that her live will be halved, but Kan U insists on living together – her happiness will triple. Chou Ryou agrees to her in the end and they make the soul contract before the mirror, sealing it with a kiss.

A year later, they’re living peacefully in Jo Shuu. Chou Ryou stills feels regretful about taking half of Kan U’s life – he keeps receiving things from her without giving her anything in return such as life, a heart, the reason for living. Chou Ryou points to the half moon hanging in the sky tonight, and relates to how Kan U’s life was a full moon once but is now halved. Kan U feels otherwise as being able to be together like this is her happiness right now. And both of their halves would make up a whole together, so he didn’t take anything away from her. Feeling her warmth, Chou Ryou recalls their first meeting and admits that she had left a strong impression on him since then. He himself now has warmth thanks to her, and he asks to share it with her too as he kisses Kan U. He loves her and will always be together with her now, up till her death. Chou Hi and Ryuu Bi come whining for food and so Chou Ryou leaves with Kan U to prepare something for them lol.

References: Historically, En Jutsu/Yuan Shu and Ryo Fu/Lü Bu did form an alliance, but against Sou Sou/Cao Cao. They also had a marriage between their children to strengthen the alliance but Lü Bu soon regretted this and fetched his daughter back. Cao Cao’s strategy to flood the city took place in actual history in the battle of Xiapi. Chou Ryou/Zhang Liao led his men to serve Cao Cao after Lü Bu was executed by Cao Cao.

Note: I didn’t do the bad end ‘cos it doesn’t have any new CGs, nor does it unlock any extras.

Overall

I wonder if my reviews are going to be at least 10k now. /o\ Anyway first I must insert a disclaimer. Chou Ryou’s route reminded a LOT of a favourite character of mine in another game. I will not spill any names to avoid spoiling anyone – people who know who I’m talking about, please censor yourselves too if you leave comments lol. But yes, the whole “have I finally become human?” issue was so resounding and I couldn’t help but make the comparisons. Unfortunately, Chou Ryou’s route fell behind for me as a result of the constant comparison.

“Was I able to become human in my last moments?” “Yes, you’re crying like a human.”
VS.
“Was I able to touch you properly like a human, up till the end?” “You have always been more human than myself, and anyone else. You have always been human.”

COME ON WHAT DO YOU EXPECT ME TO DO. I started crying instead when I recalled the latter lines from the other game. I’m hopeless, sorry. Okay but I will admit that maybe if it weren’t for my personal comparison issue, Chou Ryou’s route is actually quite sweet. It just takes a bit long for the romance to pick up. It clears up most of the stuff about Ryo Fu’s true identity too, very likely that she was the immortal who helped Ryuu Kou. But I’m left wondering how they are able to kill her, an immortal, every time. 不老不死なはずじゃない？Ehh that aside, they also weren’t consistent in that Chou Ryou suddenly got all prettied up again even though he’s supposed to be really battered up – unless he went to wash and change clothes? Lol. I feel as though Chou Ryou’s CGs weren’t as nice as Chou Hi’s or Ryuu Bi’s. The CG when he was protecting Kan U at Wainan (I didn’t show it) was awkward in my opinion and really didn’t do justice to his determination and struggle. But I think that Yusa did a decent job voicing Chou Ryou and I laughed each time he imitated Ryo Fu, Chou Hi – I really wanted to hear his impersonation of Ryuu Bi.

I’ll be going back to the final guy in Custom Drive now. I don’t know if his review will be up next though, or whether I’ll jump to Chou Un’s route in the middle of it all lol. Till then~

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9 thoughts on “Jyuuzaengi ~Engetsu Sangokuden~: Chou Ryou’s Route”

Yeah, you didn’t miss anything in the bad route. It’s just that, while fighting, they missed their chance so Ryo Fu attacked them. But they still managed to attack her together — minus the revenge line and all that lol. Also, Chou Ryou disappeared just like that — again minus the mirror part. The last scene was Kan U looking at the moon and remembering Chou Ryou (I think?) and Ryuu Bi and Chou Hi calling her to eat. XD

ZOMG I didn’t expect the revelation. No wonder they disappear while in the middle of the battle whenever Ryo Fu is killed. Speaking of, I assumed that the only way to kill Ryo Fu was through high level of powers? Like she was killed when Chou Hi transformed or when it was evil Ryuu Bi. Here it’s the power of lov– www.

The scene where Chou Ryou fought another Chou Ryou strongly reminded me of the fight against the other one from THAT game. I almost called new Chou Ryou, alpha www (wait is this an spoiler already? ;;; I’m not even sure if he was called alpha ww).

Ah I understand why you felt that Chou Ryou fell behind him. Because the other one was more human than any human with the way he think and feel. Maybe because the other one was more exposed to human ways (and affection) prior to meeting the main character in contrast with Chou Ryou who was always with a blood-thirsty fairy. Perhaps that’s also why I was just sad for Chou Ryou but more shaken up when I remembered the other scene (I can never forget the critical hit my glass heart took when I played that game and I reached that scene. |D).

Ikr! I think you start to sense that something’s a bit off with Chou Ryou but since we never know of Ryo Fu’s true identity till this route we wouldn’t have been able to guess the truth about Chou Ryou! Ahh that’s probably the only possible explanation. I don’t think there’s a showdown with Ryo Fu in the later routes you’ll play, except Sou Sou if I remember correctly.

Ahahaha yes he was called alpha! It’s okay, only those who have played the other game will get who we’re referring too. And omg Eu-chan you are an expert at explaining what I feel haha. That’s probably it, whereas in comparison it can be said that Chou Ryou is still in the process of learning the ways of a human. The conversation in the other game about why people live was had a great impact too… (Glass heart syndrome wwwww)

And yes, Chou Ryou’s impersonations were hilarious! Goes to show that he can do just about anything~

Ahaha yeah. I even thought they were magicians or something for being able to escape just like that. XD I agree, and now that I know stuff about Ryo Fu, I couldn’t believe how Kakou Ton and Kan U defeated her quite easily. ;;;

That’s probably because we almost always have the same thoughts www. Yes yes, compared to him, Chou Ryou was still in the beginning level of learning the ways of human beings lol. And because of that the view on humanity wasn’t as focused as in the other game.

Did they defeat her in his route? Omg I can’t remember LOL but yeah it does seem easier compared to other routes.

Yeah the view on humanity certainly wasn’t as focused here, and I think the revelation about Chou Ryou’s identity did come much later in the game too. Buuuut since we already know his identity in Jyuuzaengi 2, again it’ll be interesting to see how they handle it there. 😀